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Please see the below statement from Wisconsin Congressmen Jim Sensenbrenner, Paul Ryan, and Tom Petri on the legislation they introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives, which would allow for states to return certain funds made available for high speed rail and intercity rail projects to the general fund of the Treasury for Federal budget deficit reduction.
"We share Governor-elect Scott Walker’s commitment to improving Wisconsin's transportation infrastructure and his efforts to bring fiscal responsibility back to our state and the federal government. Instead of being told by bureaucrats in Washington how to allocate their resources, states need to have the flexibility and authority to prioritize how tax dollars are being spent. However, the Obama Administration’s stimulus package does not allow these stimulus funds to be reprogrammed for other worthwhile transportation projects.
“We support Governor-elect Walker's effort to put the brakes on the High Speed Rail budget boondoggle, which is why we introduced legislation, today, that would give states the ability to return federal funds obligated to high-speed rail projects, and instead use this money to reduce our nation’s $1.6 trillion deficit and $13.8 trillion debt. This high speed rail project is a bad investment for taxpayers and our state simply cannot afford it. We are optimistic that Congress will consider our legislation and empower states to prioritize spending and lead efforts to get our nation’s fiscal house in order.”
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